AMS-Simons Travel Grants

Awardee information page

How to arrange a trip

It is anticipated you may make several trips during the two years of your grant, but the plans are completely up to you and your mentor. Once you and your mentor have agreed on a certain trip, please follow these procedures:

Fill out a AMS Simons Pre-Authorization Mentor Form:

After filling out your portion of the form, save a copy to your computer. You can then attach the document to email and send to your mentor. Your mentor should review the document, type in his or her name in the mentor signature field, then attach to email and send directly to AMS staff. (Please note: The form must come directly from your mentor's email address. Please make sure that the AMS staff has your mentor's email on file. Forms will be rejected if the emails do not match).

You can also print, scan, and send the completed and signed form to:
AMS-Simons Travel Grants
American Mathematical Society
201 Charles Street
Providence, RI 02904

Awardees are responsible for all travel arrangements and registrations for the planned trip. Even if the trip is related to an AMS meeting or event, arrangements and reporting are the responsibility of the awardee. Reimbursement of allowable expenses occurs after the travel, and after a properly completed travel voucher is received at the AMS and processed for payment.

Receiving payments after travel is completed

Fill out an AMS Simons Travel Voucher Form:

Complete the form, including the date and your typed signature. After filling out the form, click submit voucher at the top of the form to send in email. The form will attach to this email. You should attach all your receipts and documentation to this same email and hit send. It will automatically be sent to AMS staff at the proper address. (Please note: The form must come directly from your email address. Please make sure that the AMS has your email on file. Forms will be rejected if the emails do not match).

Two types of travel may be funded: travel by the awardee, or travel by another mathematical scientist to the home institution of the awardee for the purpose of scientific collaboration with the awardee.

The AMS generally accepts the following expenses: travel tickets, room expenses, registration fees, food and some ground transportation expenses. Food will be reimbursed at (a maximum of) a flat per diem of \$50 per full day of travel, no matter what your location (note that first and last day of travel are reimbursed at \$37.50). So receipts are never required for reimbursement of food, but ARE required for all other expenses being reimbursed. The voucher is signed by the awardee only (unless you are using the grant to host a visitor); it does not require a mentor signature. Receipts should be attached to the voucher and sent electronically, which is preferable or mailed.

Here are some tips about reimbursement:

You do not have to use \$2000 per year. You can spend any amount within the two years.

Every receipt you submit must show proof of payment.

If you drive instead of using an airline, then please provide an estimate of what it would have cost you if you used an airline. You will be reimbursed the least expensive of the two items. Also, provide a googlemap (example), showing the mileage that was driven.

If you are using your grant to have somebody visit you, we prefer that the visitor fills out a voucher and is paid directly for all expenses.

You must prove per diem (meals). We can ascertain this information from your flight details, for example. If, however, no flight details are given, then we will use the dates approved by your mentor on the pre-authorized mentor form. Meal per diem allowances will only be paid for trips that included overnight stays.

If you make travel arrangements from anywhere other than your home institution, then please provide an estimate of what it would have cost you for a trip from and to your home institution. You will be reimbused the least expensive of the two items. If you are away from your home institution for an extended amount of time for academic reasons, then please, instead, include a written statement explaining the circumstance and include this with your reimbursement documents.

We encourage the use of a US carrier if at all possible. However, we realize there are circumstances when this is not possible. If you need to use a non-US carrier, then please include an estimate of what it would have cost to use a US carrier and/or a written statement to be included with your reimbursement documents as to why you needed to use a non-US carrier.

We prefer to reimburse you for the trip in the same year that the trip was taken.

If you have a complicated itinerary (multiple countries and currencies), it is helpful to include a breakdown of all the expenses and what currencies they are in. It is not always obvious. This can be included with your reimbursement documents.

We will only reimburse your expenses. Therefore, if you travel with another person(s), please single out all your expenses and include a breakdown and/or written statement.

If a hotel stay will cost more than US\$250 per night, please seek pre-approval by contacting AMS staff at ams-simons@ams.org.

We will not reimburse items such as travel insurance, flight change fees unless it was out of your control, conference dinners, etc. Please make an inquiry to AMS staff first to see if extraneous expenses are covered.

It is always best to first send an inquiry to ams-simons@ams.org before making travel arrangements if you feel unsure about anything. You are encouraged to do so.

Please contact AMS staff in advance for approval when thinking of renting a car.

Please examine the allowable items mentioned on the travel voucher. Questions about the voucher can be directed to AMS staff member Steve Ferrucci at 800-321-4267, ext. 4113. Or email ams-simons AT ams.org.

After submitting a completed travel voucher, payment can be expected from the AMS in two to four weeks.

You can also print, scan, and send the completed and signed form to:
AMS-Simons Travel Grants
American Mathematical Society
201 Charles Street
Providence, RI 02904

fax: 401-331-3842
email: ams-simons AT ams.org

General Award Information

AMS-Simons Travel Grant awards are made on June 1 each year. The period of the award is from July 1 through June 30 (two years later).

The award process consists of two steps. An email will be sent containing a pdf letter of the award. Should an applicant (due to a delay in PhD receipt, a recent grant award or a new position that includes significant travel support) now be ineligible for the award, the applicant should let the AMS know that immediately. In that case, the award will go to someone on a waiting list.

When the award email arrives, it will contain award details, award amount (\$4000) and an acceptance form which should be completed and returned by email. After acceptance, a further email to the awardee will contain forms to be used during the duration of the award for collecting payments. Or, revisit this page at anytime to access forms.

Your home institution

The AMS needs to confirm your correct home institution. Please verify or correct that institution on your acceptance form. If your home institution changes at any time during the grant period, please notify the AMS

How to monitor your use of the award

When each travel voucher is processed at the AMS for payment, the awardee will receive an email from AMS staff member Steve Ferrucci alerting him or her to expect the check, including the amount of the check and the funds still available in the award. Please retain these emails.

Extensions to add time to the grant

The period of the grant is July 1 of the year you receive an award through June 30, two years later. If funds remain in the grant, an extension period of one year may be requested. That request should be made during the last six months of the grant period. To request an extension, write to the program staff (see below) explaining why more time is needed to spend the award.

Department Payment

You will receive a form in September of each award year. This form should then be given to an individual at your home institution who handles transactions of this nature.

Final Report

At the close of the grant period, a final report will be due detailing the travel taken and the consequences of the support. This report is due before the final payment of the award can be made. That is, it is due at the time you submit a voucher for the last payment of the grant, or at the closing date of the grant, whichever comes sooner. A request for a final report will be sent to you in email before your last payment is processed. We have a special system that we use to collect these reports. Feedback from final reports is conveyed to the Simons Foundation from time to time.